Vertebral body augmentation procedures have evolved for the treatment of vertebral fractures (VCF), which are the most common type of skeletal fracture related to osteoporosis.
Vertebroplasty has been developed to treat vertebral compression fractures, and consists of injecting medical bone cement under pressure through a cannula into a vertebral body. The bone is usually porous with bone marrow occupying the porous space. The cement injected into the vertebral body displaces the bone marrow and fills the bone cavity. The cement hardens in-situ, providing mechanical strength and stability of the bone weakened by osteoporosis or other pathologies such as cancers.
Vertebroplasty is usually performed using a cannula including one lumen through which a stylet is inserted to facilitate access of the cannula to the injection site. Once the cannula is in place, the stylet is removed and bone cement is injected through the lumen. It is also known to use a second cannula placed near the cement injection cannula to aspirate bone fluid.
Catheters and cannulas having double lumens are generally known and used for various medical purposes, such as for example hemodyalisis. Typically, such catheters and cannulas are integrally formed in one piece, or are formed from two or more elements which are permanently attached together.
Accordingly, improvements are desirable.